Board of Directors

sandy sherwin, President

My great-uncle was a ceramic artist in NYC who taught at Greenwich House, and I grew up admiring his art in various family members’ homes and see it as formative in my decision to work in clay. My undergraduate degree in Japanese/Economics began a long history of visits to ceramics communities in Japan where I have seen the breadth of ceramics practices and styles. I briefly tried ceramics in graduate school, but it wasn’t until the early 2000’s that I started taking classes in earnest at The Clay Studio in San Francisco as a way to balance out the hectic pace of my work life. I started taking classes at The Potters’ Studio in 2018 and became a member in early 2020.

In my free time, I own and operate a two-year old nursery and organic farm in Oakland. My previous careers were in telecommunications and various aspects of energy efficiency work, in both operational management and programmatic and strategic development. I previously served on the Foto Forum board (SFMOMA), was a two-term member on the Urban Forestry Council (City of San Francisco) and am currently President of the CBC Foundation.

Laura Leaverton, vice president

I found ceramics when my daughter invited me to a class during the pandemic.  I quickly found myself coming back to class with excitement. I love the infinite possibilities that one lump of clay offers, and the multitude of techniques for shaping and decorating clay. I've been a member of the Potters' Studio since 2021.  This studio has empowered me to make and sell my work as a new potter, and provided the resources to learn every phase of clay production.  

My professional career was in software engineering, and managing teams of web developers in both consumer-facing and business-focused product teams. I retired in 2023, excited to have more time for clay.  I joined the board in March of 2025, excited to contribute to the mission of our studio, and to help its succeed in this new phase!  This is my first non-profit board. 

sachin Ganpule, treasurer

I started working in clay in San Diego, making mostly functional ware and eventually focusing on porcelain clay bodies. While I was there I was also able to take part in Raku firings, learned to mix glazes, helped build a kiln, surrendered pieces to a pit fire, and learned to fire Cone 10 kilns. After moving to the Bay Area in the 00's, I joined Ruby's Clay Studio as a member, continuing to work in porcelain, occasionally firing kilns, serving on the Board for six years, and once putting up a show in their gallery. I became a board member at The Potters’ Studio in 2024, and currently serve as Treasurer.

suhail chander

I joined The Potters’ Studio as a fledgling student and have really enjoyed the learning and process of creation. The unpredictability of clay and the patience it demands attracts and challenges me.

I have been a career banker and have worked in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and I currently sit on the board of a large bank and an asset management company in India. 

Since 2018, I have been spending a much of my time in building socially relevant institutions. In February 2018 I launched SOCH foundation, a trust that works with providing support to children with learning disabilities. The service is free and already covers 50 schools and supports more than 1100 children in New Delhi, India. I am a trustee at ITIHAAS, a trust that works in the area of Heritage Education, Tourism and Skill Development. I am also a trustee at the CMC hospital in India, a charity that works towards providing quality healthcare to low-income families.

Haley Tessler

I took my first wheel throwing class about seven years ago at my local community college. I was instantly hooked and soon joined a community studio in my neighborhood in San Francisco. While there, I connected with a wonderful network of friends and mentors and four years later I moved over to The Potters’ Studio. My work is primarily wheel thrown, then altered to create dynamic forms that are enhanced by the various firing processes The Potters’ Studio offers. I now do ceramics full time and I’m currently a Raku instructor at our studio.